Spinners and Winners
Think Congress does not have much to show for itself this year? Think again. A new report from Senator Tom Coburn's office
highlights dozens of examples of government waste in 2012. Included for
the first time on this list: Congress. The very people looking into
government waste find they themselves are wasteful. Coburn's report
estimates $132 million of taxpayers' money was wasted on "the most
unproductive and unpopular Congress in modern history."
"The waste is unbelievable," says Coburn. "We're bankrupt, this country is bankrupt, and people just don't want to admit it."Loopholes are part of the problem. The National Football League, for example, pulled in more than $9 billion last year, yet is technically a "non-profit" organization, costing the federal government tens of millions of dollars every year in lost revenue.
"We have some of the biggest
corporations in America paying no taxes whatsoever, you know something
is wrong with the code," says the Republican senator.
Millions of dollars have also
been spent on questionable items, like $325,000 on a squirrel robot,
realistic enough to fool a rattlesnake, and developed with a National
Science Foundation grant; $40,000 to produce a video game where players
can virtually enjoy a pond in Massachusetts; and $516,000 to create a
video game called "Prom Week," which simulates the interaction of
teenagers surrounding the biggest social night in high school.
The spending approaches
intergalactic proportions -- sort of. NASA has no plans for a manned
mission to Mars, but is spending nearly a $1 million a year researching
what kind of food astronauts could eat if they ever get there.
"What was once a great country
has been mortgaged and bankrupted by the egos and ethics of career
politicians," says Coburn, who adds the only way to change the system is
to vote out all the incumbents.
"If you want to change the
trajectory of our country, if you want to get rid of the hundreds of
billions of dollars of waste every year, you have to change who is
there." VIDEO
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